Big Country
The Seer

THE REVIEW

Published in 1986, "The Seer" is the album that closes the first and highly successful phase of Big Country's career. Together with "The Crossing" and "Steeltown," it is the album that summarizes an artistic journey which, despite an electrifying and certainly original start, only partially managed to fulfill its initial promises, opting instead to tediously replicate a well-established musical formula.

Although slightly inferior to its two illustrious predecessors, "The Seer" is a pleasant and successful work thanks to the presence of well-structured, easy, and impactful tracks. The songs are technically flawless but unfortunately suffer from Robin Millar's overly glossy and clean production. The great Stuart Adamson, the undisputed leader of Big Country, offers in what is known as the eagle album the famous "Look Away," one of the band's most iconic tracks. A true earworm with an epic stride that allowed it to reach the upper echelons of the British charts and which was chosen as the first single for the album's release at the time. On the same level are the notable "The Teacher," the mysterious title track, featuring the extraordinary participation of the talented Kate Bush, and the moving "Eiledon," one of Stuart Adamson's most successful creations, thanks to the clever use of the e-bow in the piece's introductory part. The bucolic and romantic "Hold The Heart" and the lively "Red Fox" maintain a good level of quality for the album, while the remaining tracks lack content. "One Great Thing," with its ridiculous video, ultimately becomes boring and repetitive. "I Walk The Hill" and "Remembrance Day" merely trace the typical Big Country style, while the concluding "Sailor" is incomplete.

Despite these considerations at the time of its release, "The Seer" was quite successful and introduced Big Country beyond European borders. "The Seer" also remains the last successful work of a competent band that, throughout its career, chose not to alter its precise musical coordinates too much, maintaining a distinctive and recognizable sound. The story of Big Country, as is known, then continued at a low profile but remained noteworthy thanks to respectable, valid works in line with their glorious past.